Writer / Editor / Creative

Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar (aka “Citizen” as it’s known to its fan base of regulars) is a neighborhood tavern and gastropub that’s become a local favorite since it opened a block from Fenway Park in 2010. It’s a cozy and classy modern take on a traditional English pub with leather booths, a long dark wood bar, a 100-year old fireplace, and a hearty menu of Berkshire pork, steak frites, mussels and oysters prepared by Chef Brian Reyelt (of Franklin Café and Tasty Burger fame).

We talked with resident mixologist Rich at Citizen Public House about the late-night crowds, their famous stockpile of rare whiskies and what’s new on the cocktail menu for the winter season.

Rich carefully adds the ingredients to the shaker and mixes it up. He slowly pours the cocktail in a coupe glass. It’s a little spicy, a little bitter, a little sweet, balanced through-and-through with a smooth kick.

Q: Are you from Boston originally?

No, I’m from New Haven, Connecticut.

Q: What brought you up this way?

I spent a year in Worcester for school and then went to Suffolk. I really wanted to become a bartender, learn how to socialize with people, get out and connect. I helped open up Sweet Cheeks five years ago, and then I moved across the street to Citizen. For me, this is the dream I wanted. I said five years ago: ‘I’m gonna work at Citizen Public House.’ This is the place I wanna be.

Editor’s Note: This interview is part of a branded-content series for TheFenway.com, an arts & entertainment site that generates commercial/residential interest in The Fenway neighborhood of Boston.

Douglas Wright is a freelance writer/editor & creative producer based in Brooklyn, NY with a focus on speechwriting, advertising, branded content, internal marketing campaigns, film & television, arts, travel, and general news.

He is a former small-town New England reporter who has worked in the NYC media industry for the past decade as a speechwriter, creative director, travel editor for Condé Nast, and founder/fiction editor for the literary arts magazine Exit Strata.

His articles have been featured in Budget Travel, NewYork.com, Popular Science, All About Jazz, MSNBC, CNN, AOL Travel, Lakes Region Weekly, American Journal, and Concierge.com (the online companion of Conde Nast Traveler) among others.